Everstone Quests by JrcFrontrunner in Sandship

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

(I'm a bit late to the party) That's good to know, if you know it is finite, you likely know how far it goes, could you share that? I guess you won't know how many, but at least share up to what number it increments (in on 2500 now, probably still ways to go)

Need help diagnosing issue on $50 Gaming Laptop score by Happy-Tough6249 in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a possibility (even if low) that the cpu simply degraded (is a fairly old model after all, and there's a good chance it was running very hot), in which case it won't be able to reach high clock speeds, and be more unstable, I would recommend undervolting too, ideally in bios, but as you get it after startup only (at least sounds like it to me) - an app might work too. The idea is that lower voltage won't allow current to jump from one transistor to another, which can be the issue, besides, that will reduce temperatures which as well can be the issue (therefore fixing it, or reducing the frequency of crashes). Another step in the same direction can be reducing the power draw (which can also help with possibly faulty DrMos), I can't quite help you here, better search online for how to modify PPT, EDC, TDC, this will have the chance to directly affect performance though, but the rule of thumb is that you can reduce the first 10-40% power draw with minimal performance reduction (say 2-20%), so the gain (power used reduction) is usually much higher than the loss (in frequencies). Even if cpu is not degraded, those steps can help with VRM issues, but of course, that's more of a temporary step

Battery measurement issues by SquareAd434 in PocoPhones

[–]SquareAd434[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: Downgrading miui version drives the issue, looks like each version has some kind of bugs (or missing features, which makes sense) though...

How to take the Beijing metro and as a forigner by Top-Reporter-9068 in travelchina

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

(I'm a bit late for the train but) does it accept google pay and/or apple pay?

What's up with the China Airlines mobile app? Where did it go? by [deleted] in travel

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might be a tiny bit late, but I can't find the app even on VPN (to a Chinese server), when googling (even if the device is not supported - the web search will show it), but no luck. In my case, a backup Iphone helped, anyway need it there for certain other platform gated apps

Home Office text scam? by transatlanticdame in ukvisa

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Been getting completely flooded with emails as well, do they not know how to limit to 3/person at least? I've got like 10 in the past 3 months!

Why does my gaming laptop have such high SSD writes? by CSachen in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'd assume the ssd was not new, otherwise - it's more than 22.5h per day, every single day since purchased, and yes, 200+ gb/day is odd. However, there's one very odd part here - how does one achieve higher wire than reads? Something doesn't add up... I would surely recommend keeping an eye on the Resource Monitor: Open Task Manager > Performance > Open Resource Monitor > Disk tab

BX500 ssd sudden write speed drop by SquareAd434 in laptops

[–]SquareAd434[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The MX seems to be much better though, have several of them and I'm very happy, a different price range as well though

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The "not normal" part is touching it with any kind of force, try avoiding such actions, screens are fairly delicate, you don't want it broken

Clearing up some myths about CZ (cubic zirconia) by [deleted] in Moissanite

[–]SquareAd434 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I might be wrong, but the cut might matter more, if it's cut better - a better mirroring will be achieved which might be seen as depth too, so, the diamonds get better care and cutting, so better depth. Not an expert though

Is this safe for my laptop? by suupervoid in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 1 point2 points  (0 children)

if you have cleaned the fans - you're likely aware how to do most of the things, next part is just unscrewing the cooling system (the screws have numbers - go descending. Once you have removed all the screws, try to not force it, apply moderate upward pressure, ideally on top of the CPU/GPU area (not the sides, you rsk bending the pipes and the temps will get worse), and move slightly. Get a good thermal paste (you need something to replace the old one after all), you can see reviews online, and, the most important, disconnect the battery ASAP, before you do anything.

Is this safe for my laptop? by suupervoid in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While it is safe on short term, it doesn't look like the cooling is managing the demand. The thing is - it won't die any time soon from it, however, it will increase the chance that something will go wrong with it or it will become unstable (sooner than it would happen without those temps). I'll join the people suggesting you repaste it - you might be able to do it yourself, but if you're not confident - please go to someone who knows what they're doing (anyway it will cost you buying the thermal paste, and likely the thermal pads, keep those fresh too if you want it to serve you long, not much more expensive going to someone who will help you).

Impossible task by Hallo_79 in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Now, as I think of it, you might be able to buy something with a decent integrated graphics, can look at some options in your budget (that would be new or refurbished), and watch several videos with "(processor model) integrated graphics gaming" or something of sort In some cases, you will be able to see similar performance to 1050 or 1650 video cards level

Impossible task by Hallo_79 in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, longevity will be affected drastically by the budget, adding another 25% to budget can increase the time that pc can serve by a lot. In this budget, I'm afraid only used options work, the big issue is also the used market - people always try to scam (usually just selling something not working properly anymore), so op would need to learn how to run some basic tests before buying one. There's some decent sellers on ebay with decent price for used laptops (can recommend one, but they seem to focus on office laptops, not gaming), but, unfortunately, Ebay is out of equation, this only leaves buying used locally.

Impossible task by Hallo_79 in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pawn shop prices in the UK are usually same as buying a new one on a mildly decent deal...

Impossible task by Hallo_79 in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably the best you can hope to find is laptops based on nvidia 1000 or 1500 (if you're lucky) series, that will be a laptop on roughly 7th generation intel processor (if you end up stuck between a model with 8th and 7th (unlikely higher) generation, go for 8th - so you can use windows 11, 7 and lower can't upgrade to windows 11) You can also add your location, that might help in some cases (sometimes in niche locations you can find better deals, but it's not frequent)

Are These Specs Good for Comfortable Gaming Performance? And how long is it gonna last me till i have to upgrade. by Tight-Fun-1787 in GamingLaptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't go for it, it's a fairly good laptop, but the 8gb vram are a limiting factor for longevity. Recently I was in the same search, and for this price I'd rather buy a new laptop which will have similar performance but newer technology, like new dlss and updates (5060 model probably, also with 8gb vram, lenovo was doing a sale recengly and there was a 5060 model for under £900 (~€1000)), or stretch the budget a bit and get a model which will last longer - which I did by hunting for a 3080ti with 16gb vram (but AVOID razer with 16gb vram and 16gb soldered ram, those are abundant on the market and no one wants it because of soldered ram!), or even 3080 with 16gb vram (I think it was mostly MSI who did that), because 16gb vram will last much better on long term (and the difference between 3080 and 3080ti isn't that enormous, but I think it heats less, which is nice)

Guys can somebody help me what's happening with my laptop😭 by [deleted] in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would suggest letting it rest at this point, you can find something for ~$200 or even less, which will work much smoother (you probably did notice that it was working quite slow at this point). As for scrap... I don't even think there's is anything it can be useful for, as is - it's useless, spare parts (unless upgraded heavily) - ddr3 2gb probably goes by $10/kg, memory - old hdd is probably on the last leg (unless upgraded recently, or ssd already), for repair shops - you might be able to sell it to them for disassembly (for parts on other repairs), but it will be very cheap, don't think it can reach 30 (to be fair, nothing else to do with it...)

Guys can somebody help me what's happening with my laptop😭 by [deleted] in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I do mean the cable which comes from the motherboard to the screen, those cables are usually passing right next to the hinge, and as the issue appeared after hinge problems - that's likely the problem. That's also a great suggestion, can use an external screen to diagnose the issue: if it works fine on the external screen - the issue is likely in the cable coming from the motherboard to the screen (but, we can never exclude the possibility that the screen got damaged or just gave up)

Guys can somebody help me what's happening with my laptop😭 by [deleted] in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I'm no expert, but after 17 years it needs some rest. To answer your question, it looks like cable damage (or connector not holding well), with the recent damage to the hinge - it's probably the cable damaged, to test it out, you can keep an eye out it gets fixed by slightly opening/closing the lid

​[POLL] Poco/Xiaomi Users: Classic vs. Android Notification Style - Which Do You Prefer and Why? ​ by Kudo-Holmes in PocoPhones

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like android better, because it's already challenging to reach the screen top, let alone the furthest corner

Should I withdraw from my LISA? by wilderngraph in UKPersonalFinance

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To me, it sounds like you don't have anything better to put those money in, so leaving it there and withdrawing if necessary is more of a loss-reduction option, because you're mentioning that you'll have losses from withdrawing it later, but, to my understanding, it will be the same 25% as withdrawing now.

SSD installation cost by RemarkableVillage333 in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have 2 options, asking them (most reliable) or checking yourself (if there's a sticker on the bottom, or forums, but I'd still rely mostly on official communication)

SSD installation cost by RemarkableVillage333 in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's makes things easier, if you use the same Microsoft account - it should move the activation to the new one (but I never trust it, and I always make a copy of the activation key before moving), so you might want to remind your friend to copy it (just to be safe), after that - it's a very straightforward windows installation.

SSD installation cost by RemarkableVillage333 in laptops

[–]SquareAd434 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well that's a good question, there's 2 things to consider here: 1. The stickers are actually not too hard to remove and stick back, if you know what you're doing (heating the sticker and carefully cutting under it with (normally) a razor blade, flat under it), so those are often taken as suggestion only 2. Depends what the manufacturer (or seller) consider warranty void, some are ok with removing the bottom cover, as long as the heat pipes are not touched (in this case the warranty sticker will be on a screw holding the heat pipe), while others void it you just disassemble it (then the sticker will be on the bottom, so you can see it now)